Wednesday, January 16, 2008

There were 8 games on the NBA schedule last night; I'm going to take a look at some of the top performances from those games:

Fantasy stars:LeBron - Surprise! He scored 51 points on 18-28 shooting from the field (6-12 from 3 point range), grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 9 assists, and got 3 steals & 1 block for good measure. He did only shoot 9-16 from the charity stripe (56%), but one blemish is acceptable. And even though he played great, more importantly for Cavs fans is the fact that the Cavs pulled out a victory in overtime! (Photo Credit - AP Photo/Nikki Boertman)

Rip Hamilton - Efficiency...that's what I call 39 points on 16-22 shooting, 5-6 from 3 point range, 2-3 from the line, while grabbing 4 boards & getting 6 assists. That's it though; no steals, no blocks, and no turnovers. Efficient, and in only 35 minutes of play.

Sam Cassell - I was watching some of this game on NBA League Pass last night, and Sammy was on fire; I bet he could have taken a shot standing on his head at halfcourt wearing a blindfold with his hands tied behind his back with the dance team surrounding him & he would have found a way to get the ball through the hoop. He ended up with a line of 32 points on 15-21 shooting, chipping in 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal for good measure. What makes this especially surprising is he had put up a total of 21 points in his previous four games...combined. He's fun to watch when he gets on fire, like in last night's game, but don't expect it to occur every night.

Surprise Fantasy Performances:Antoine Walker - I guess he's not a total surprise, since he's been a good player in this league...but after two scoreless games in his last 4, he threw up (not literally) 26 last night (in only 26 minutes). This included 4 3 pointers, and he got 10 rebounds as well. Even after last night's game, he's still not someone I'd recommend picking up off the waiver wire, unless you're in a deep league & desperate for 3's. While we're on the topic of guys that can help you out if you need 3's...

MMM...Roto Advice Juan Carlos had a great game yesterday against the Cavs, playing 47 minutes & scoring 26 points (on 9-16 shooting, including 6-10 on 3's), getting 2 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals. His playing time has increased again of late, and he's he's played 30 or more minutes in 3 of his last 4 games. Seeing how he has 14 3's in the last 4 games, I'd definitely take a chance on him if you're looking for help in that category. Monitor his playing time frequently, as he's fallen in and out of the regular rotation throughout his rookie season, but I'd use him while he's on a hot streak.

AND 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 7 steals, 2 blocks, and 0 turnovers; nice. The 7 steals ties the NBA single game high this season.Fantasy stinker of the day:DeShawn Stevenson - In 40 minutes of play, he scored 4 points on 1-6 shooting from the field (1-4 on 3's) & 1-2 from the line. At least he chipped in with 3 boards & 4 assists, but it's not the type of performance you hoped for when you put him in your lineup (especially after putting up games of 12, 19, 19, & 16 in his past four). Hopefully he'll bounce back Friday against the Knicks.